Ramen with a Contemporary Twist

Tochi revamps the old Anaba with creative Asian fusion

Many were disappointed when
the Anaba Tea Room quietly closed its doors a few months ago. True, the menu
was a bit quirky with lunches offering little more than pots of tea and tiny
sandwiches to go with them, but the dinner menu was inspiring with its creative
Asian fusion. Anaba has reopened with a new name, Tochi, a new menu and a
somewhat revamped interior.

The entry is the same. Walk
in through the doors of the Garden Room, an upscale gardener’s shop, and head
down a flight of stairs. Despite a display case filled with a collection of
Godzilla figurines, there is nothing cartoonish about the new interior. There
are simple, beautiful wooden tables, most small and one or two communal. In the
center of the dining area is a skylight that makes the place a pleasure to
visit in the daytime. No wonder the place is now busy for lunch. The bar
remains much the same with its small selections of beer, wine, sake and a
broader spectrum of teas. Things are very good.

The menu revolves around
ramen. In places with large Japanese populations like New York and Los Angeles
there are restaurants devoted to ramen, but in the strictest Japanese sense.
Here, there is a different approach where the creativity that made the Tea Room
such a pleasure still reigns. The few starter courses are simple but on the
mark. The cucumber dish ($3.95) includes a long row of slices of tender-skinned
Japanese cucumbers with seasoned ginger, salt and pepper, and a sauce with an
aggressive note of mustard. It’s a refreshing starter. Many customers head
straight for the pork steamed buns ($5.95). At dim sum places the meat is a
filling in the doughy buns. Here, the buns are shaped a bit like a taco shell,
each with a slice of fatty pork toped with a curry cabbage slaw with a dash of
sweet hoisin sauce. Yum! But the highlight is shishito peppers ($5.95). These
Japanese chilies are about the size of slimmed-down jalapeños and are definitely
milder but still have a flavor that reminds you that they are, indeed, chili
peppers. In Los Angeles they often appear on Japanese and contemporary menus—the
trend du jour. This is the first place I have found them locally and they are
perfectly prepared—lightly grilled and seasoned with a bit of fish sauce, pork
fat and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. The serving is generous. Share it.

The ramen is served in a
style meant for a photograph with each ingredient having its own space. The
signature Tochi ramen ($11.95) puts Singapore-style noodles in a pork-based
broth. There are chopped Welsh onions, sweeter than scallions and a presence in
all of the ramens sampled. Also, there is pork belly prepared two ways, one in
crispy chunks and the other in slices with the lean alternated with fat. Add
sassy spicy miso deviled egg and then pick and choose with the chopsticks and
porcelain soupspoon.

Thai ramen ($9.95) is
entirely different, except for the noodles. The spicy broth is the type for tom
yum soup with some carrot, chopped cabbage and more Welsh onions. There is
plenty of shelled shrimp, almost more shrimp in volume than noodles. Flavors
are bold, unlike the subtlety of the Tochi ramen. The thought of a Wisconsin
ramen ($8.95) seems doomed to failure. How do you incorporate bratwurst,
onions, mustard, pickle relish and sauerkraut into something resembling
Japanese food? The answer is with a bit of creativity and subtlety. The onions
are mild and caramelized with beer; the relish is not tart and vinegary; the
mustard is used sparingly; and the small dash of sauerkraut is dehydrated,
adding a delicate flavor. It all works in its own way. Vegetarians will adore
the mushroom and smoked tofu ramen ($8.95). The tofu is on skewers and has
grill marks. It is more flavorful than seems possible for tofu. The broth uses
soy sauce fermented in bourbon barrels. Add Welsh onions plus a few kernels of
freeze-dried corn for a dash of Midwest irreverence. The sliced mushrooms are
perfectly at home in this setting. This is probably the best of the ramens
here, amidst some tough competition.

Purists will be able to find
fault but this is ramen with a contemporary twist providing impressive results.
Tochi is not your ordinary corner Japanese noodle shop. The setting is serene,
the service professional and tea menu not to be ignored. As for the former
Anaba Tea Room’s rooftop garden seating? We will find out when the weather warms
up. It would be a great spot for a Japanese beer and a bowl of shishito
peppers.